The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is preparing a criminal complaint in Swiss courts against FIFA president Gianni Infantino, accusing him of financial mismanagement over a now-abandoned plan to sell a stake in the sport's most valuable commercial assets to private investors. In a 56-page legal document, UEFA's lawyers state that the organisation is "contemplating a Swiss criminal proceeding against Infantino and possibly other FIFA officials for criminal mismanagement" under Article 158 of the Swiss Criminal Code.
The plan, announced on 28 July without consultation with FIFA's council or any of its 211 member associations, would have created a new subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE). Under the proposal, New York-based investment fund Thrive Capital Management — founded by Joshua Kushner, brother-in-law of a senior US political figure — was to serve as an anchor investor, paying FIFA $4.2 billion for a 20% stake in a vehicle controlling the commercial rights to the men's and women's World Cups and the Club World Cup. FIFA is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, but also operates offices in Coral Gables, a suburb of Miami, Florida. Infantino, facing a fierce backlash from European and other football leaders, dropped the plan on 1 August.
UEFA alleges the proposed price was deeply undervalued and had not been tested by any independent valuers or open competitive auction, calling it "a fraudulently off-market price promoted by Infantino for his own benefit." The filings suggest the $4.2 billion figure implied an enterprise value of approximately $20 billion — a figure UEFA's lawyers describe as "absurdly low." According to the documents, the plan was developed secretly for more than a year by Infantino and a small inner circle, before being rushed through internal FIFA approval processes with only hours given to a limited number of officials to sign off on a project worth billions of dollars.
To gather evidence for the planned Swiss criminal proceedings, UEFA has filed requests in US courts: one in Manhattan seeking documents from Thrive Capital Management, and another in a southern Florida federal court requesting discovery from two FIFA subsidiaries — FIFA Americas and FWC2026 — both based in Florida. UEFA also alleges that the secretive manner in which the plan was structured and marketed has directly damaged FIFA's reputation, governance authority, and commercial relationships.
Infantino cancelled the plan following what UEFA describes as unanimous rejection across the football world. UEFA subsequently suspended a threatened boycott of FIFA competitions after receiving written guarantees that the proposal had been "withdrawn definitively and irrevocably." However, the legal action signals that the confrontation is far from over. Meeting in Monaco ahead of the Champions League draw, UEFA's leadership was unanimously mandated to pursue "all institutional, political, and legal avenues" to ensure meaningful reform of FIFA and to restore limits on presidential authority. UEFA has called for an independent external review of the FFE proposal, stating that FIFA "cannot investigate itself" and expect the football community to accept the findings. Infantino, who is seeking a fourth term as FIFA president in March, retains backing from South America's CONMEBOL and Africa's CAF, though the broader political landscape around his leadership has shifted significantly.